Soap Scum or Mold?

By
Mitch Wright Plumbing, Heating & Air
|August 23, 2018

Bored and need a game to play? If so, hop into your bathroom and see if you can distinguish the difference between soap scum and mold! Sure, it might seem quite easy to detect each — but you’ll be surprised at how “hair-raising” the difference could go undetected. If you’re not sure what to look for, then use this blog as your guide!

Soap Scum

Ever take a shower or bath with an excessive amount of shampoo or body wash? Even if you use each of these sparingly, there’s a change that the residue from each can be left behind in an excessive form. Sure, there’s always a way to clean up soap scum with ease — but when you have a busy week at work, the last thing you want to do is clean your bathroom.

If you’re still not sure what to look for, regarding soap scum, then it’s pretty simple to detect. Unlike mold in your shower/bathtub, soap scum leaves behind a thin, white layer of film around your tub and fixtures. This white, scum layer can be compared to a light dusting of snow or a light marble finish on a solid surface.

Additionally, soap scum isn’t as harmful to your well-being as mold — but it still needs to be addressed and taken care of immediately to preserve your shower, bathtub, and faucets — since soap scum has the potential to tarnish the appearance of anything it clings to.

Mold

Unlike soap scum, mold is quite gruesome to spot. When you’re on the hunt for soap scum, you’ll notice that it’s a white, thin layer (or coating) around your bathtub, shower, and fixtures — but mold has a much more aggressive appearance.

Indeed, mold can be found anywhere in your cleaning vessel (from the ground to the ceiling) — but it’s predominantly seen around any grout/caulking in your bathroom. When you do have mold around these parts, you’ll see various shades of brown, black, grey, and yellow. Another prime location for mold is on the ceiling of your shower — since most shower ceilings aren’t composed of tile.

The minute you discover mold in your shower or bathroom, it’s essential that you take care of it right away — since it’s a health hazard, especially for your respiratory health. The best solution is to use a green cleaning solution or an enzyme-based cleaner — which has the same power as a chemical-based cleaner but won’t negatively impact your indoor air quality, not your plumbing pipes.

At Mitch Wright Plumbing, Heating & Air, we are here for all of your plumbing and heating/cooling needs, which is why we offer 24/7 emergency services. For more information on the services we offer, visit us on the web or give us a call at (662) 269-0851.